Occupant exposure to indoor air pollutants in modern European offices: an integrated modelling approach

The paper introduces INDAIR-CHEM, a model combining indoor air chemistry with physical and probabilistic exposure modelling. Testing across eight European cities shows that extreme heat-waves and poor ventilation can increase personal exposure to indoor pollutants. While reduced ventilation limits ozone ingress, it allows secondary species to persist longer, potentially increasing cumulative exposure. Additionally, the timing of cleaning with limonene-based products affects exposure risks for cleaning staff and office workers due to diurnal ozone variations.

• Extreme weather events, specifically heat-waves, can lead to degraded outdoor air quality and a subsequent increase in personal exposure to both primary and secondary pollutants within indoor environments.
• Ventilation rates create a trade-off in pollutant exposure: lower ventilation reduces the amount of ozone entering from outdoors but increases the duration that secondary species remain indoors, which may lead to higher cumulative exposure for workers.
• The timing of cleaning with limonene-based products influences exposure to secondary oxidation products; cleaning staff face lower risks in the early morning when outdoor ozone concentrations are typically lower than in the late afternoon.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). Occupant exposure to indoor air pollutants in modern European offices: an integrated modelling approach. https://www.sei.org/publications/occupant-exposure-to-indoor-air-pollutants-in-modern-european-offices-an-integrated-modelling-approach/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Occupant exposure to indoor air pollutants in modern European offices: an integrated modelling approach. 2014. https://www.sei.org/publications/occupant-exposure-to-indoor-air-pollutants-in-modern-european-offices-an-integrated-modelling-approach/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Occupant exposure to indoor air pollutants in modern European offices: an integrated modelling approach |date=17 January 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/occupant-exposure-to-indoor-air-pollutants-in-modern-european-offices-an-integrated-modelling-approach/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014occupant, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Occupant exposure to indoor air pollutants in modern European offices: an integrated modelling approach}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/occupant-exposure-to-indoor-air-pollutants-in-modern-european-offices-an-integrated-modelling-approach/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }